Fear
by Hermione Heart
Summary: This was an assignment for my English class. We had to alter the fear level of the boys to make Ralph and Piggy have a very high fear level and Jack to have a very low fear level based on certain scenes. Please read and review, this is my first fanfiction


Ralph was dreaming. He had fallen asleep after what seemed like hours of tossing and turning restlessly among the leaves. The faint sounds of nightmares from the other shelters coloured his dream, tainting the otherwise tranquil scene with an ominous backdrop. He was back home, feeding the ponies with sugar over the garden wall. He stroked the ponies wistfully, all the while becoming more aware of the increasing sounds around him. Just as the sounds began to rise in a surging crescendo, someone, or something, was grabbing at his arm.

Ralph sat up with a start, to find two small figures huddled around him.

"Ralph!"

"We saw-"

"-the beast!"

"Plain!"

Ralph shook his head, not quite fully awake.

"Who are you? The twins?"

"We saw the beast!"

Ralph jerked his head over towards the entrance of the shelter. He was now fully awake, all traces of ponies and sugar wiped from his mind.

"Where? Did it follow you back?"

Ralph suddenly felt very alone.

"Piggy!" he hissed into the dark shelter, suddenly frantic to have another biggun near.

"Pig-"

"What is it?" Piggy gasped, also just as startled to be pulled from his dreams. Ralph listened, aware of a growing fear in the pit of his stomach, as Samneric pounced on Piggy, breathlessly retelling their story. An eerie silence filled the shelter then, unwilling ears straining for any queer sounds outside. Even the distant shelter, made visible by only the beginning lights of morning, took on a menacing shape, and made the boys breath catch in their throats, before they realized that it held no danger.

Ralph turned to Samneric.

"Run to the other shelters. Call them to an assembly. Quickly. Go on."

The twins, holding tremulously to each other, dared the few yards to the next shelter and spread the dreadful news. Even Ralph waited until Piggy was crouching next to him in the shelter to step out.

"Come on. We'll go together."

With the slowly rising sun chasing away the shadows, Ralph and Piggy half stumbled to the platform. Ralph picked up the conch, and raised it to his lips; but then he hesitated, fearing the implications that blowing the conch would bring. The boys seen this and understood. Relaxing a little, he passed the conch to Eric, as the rest of the boys clustered around, hunting spears in hand. Half of Ralph was listening to Samneric recount their tale for the third time, while the other half was seeking refuge inside of him. He came too with a jolt, realizing that the boys were just finishing the retelling.

" I saw it slinking behind the trees-"

"Nearly touched me-"

The light revealed what the shadows had hidden, and Piggy let out a small gasp as he looked at Eric's face.

"How did you do that? Are you sure it didn't get you?"

"I'm all rough! Am I bleeding?" Eric said as he felt his face

Jack broke in, stopping the growing feelings of fear that we being felt around the circle of boys.

"You've all gone batty. Samneric must have been having a nightmare, and Ralph was the closest thing to their mommy to calm them. None of you believe them, do you?"

He let the question hang, and watched as the boy's murmed to each other. Ralph felt a twinge of angry at that comment, but took the conch from Sam and looked at Jack.

"We don't know for sure, but I don't want to keep going on having to look over my shoulder every minute and listening to the littluns screaming at night. Something has to be done. All of us should go now, and take the spears."

Jack looked at him, wondering where the boy that was once obsessed with rules and smoke signals had gone.

"Fine. I'll take my hunters and we will see what can be done."

Ralph felt his heart pounding at the prospect of being left along on the beach with only Piggy and the littluns.

"I'm going with you."

Now it was Piggy's turn to panic. He snatched the conch from Ralph.

"You can't go out there! Who know when the beast could get you! Or even worse, it could come here when you are all gone. Then what would happen?"

Looking around, Jack saw many of the littluns nodding at what Piggy was saying. He felt a stab of impatience for the fat boy, and seen that he was close to tears.

"Shut up Fatty!"

Ralph felt the need to step in.

"You haven't got the conch! Besides, I really think we need to go. Now. The beast-" He broke off, afraid to even think about what the beast could be doing right this minute. Piggy, finding himself in the middle of the building animosity, gave the conch back to Ralph and sat down, looking nervously over his shoulder, as if at any minute some unknown creature would come bursting out of the bushes.

"If anyone can find this beast, its my hunters." Jack's tone had an air of finality to it.

"Anyone who is brave enough can come." At this Piggy let out a small whimper. Ralph knew the fear of staying on the beach with Piggy would be worse than going out with Jack's group.

"I'm coming." He said and grabbed up a discarded spear. The hunters, Jack and Ralph set off towards the mountain, following the gentle curve of the beach.


End file.
